Get inspired by an eco-friendly prefab ranch house

While visiting New Zealand with their three kids, Grant and Shaya Kirkpatrick fell in love with what the locals call the bach lifestyle. “We’d see Kiwis pack up their car, throw a kayak on the roof, and head out to a rural cottage to spend the weekend,” says Grant. “It was a big inspiration.” So when they returned to their home in Los Angeles, they started seeking out their own get-away-from-it-all space—and found it on a 30-acre lakeside parcel of golden grass and stately oaks near Paso Robles, California.

Grant, who’s an architect, designed a low-slung, 1,000-square-foot prefab dwelling inspired by Cliff May’s iconic ranch houses. The imminent plan is for Split Rock to surpass its humble beginnings with a full array of solar panels, taking the homestead—which already has its own groundwater supply and septic system—completely off the grid. “We feel a real sense of accomplishment here,” says Grant. “But we realize that much of that came from the ability to appreciate the serenity.”